Matthew 28:18
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Jesus' Teachings
The Great Commission
Jesus' final instruction — go, make disciples, and remember he is with you the whole way
Introduction
What was the point of everything Jesus had just spent three years teaching? On a mountain in Galilee, after the resurrection, Jesus gives his followers one final instruction before he ascends — and it answers that question directly.
Go. Make disciples of all nations. Baptize them. Teach them everything I commanded you. And remember — I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
This is where every earlier teaching finally points. The Beatitudes, the Golden Rule, the narrow gate, the real cost of following him — all of it was preparation for people who would go on to teach it to others, not private wisdom meant to end with the twelve.
Scripture
Matthew 28:19–20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Translation note: Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV). The King James Version is in the public domain.
Key insights
- Authority comes first — 'go' rests on 'all power is given'
- The task is disciples, not converts — ongoing teaching
- 'All nations' broke open an exclusively Jewish expectation
- His presence is promised right alongside the command to obey
Related resources
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